As part three of this series, BabyCenter and Children’s Motrin are celebrating moms and sharing tips on how you can be an unstoppable mom! You can see part one & two by Andrea Updyke and part three shared by Kami Bigler.

I totally jinxed myself! No joke. Just a few weeks ago, when everyone was in high flu and cold season mode, I literally boasted that my family hardly ever gets sick. “Oh, I’ll absolutely be there with my kids. They won’t be sick!” Then, BAM! All three kids ages 6, 3, and 8 months got hit with the flu. They were rotating turns as if they were tag teaming it.

On a normal day, I need to be prepared. But, when the kids are sick, not only do I need to take care of the sick child, but I need to keep the others busy. As a mompreneur, I need to be unstoppable, ready, and prepared – especially during this cold/flu season.

Here are fun and practical ways to keep siblings busy when one (or more) kid is sick. I should emphasize PRACTICAL because when you’re dealing with a sick household, the last thing you need is more mess to clean up.

1. Pajama Party! Who doesn’t like being in pajamas all day? Even if the other kids aren’t sick, they will love to be in pajamas and feel relaxed. Also, my theory is that pajamas just make kids more calm. They get in their mode of reading books, telling stories, and building forts. Bust out the sleeping bags and let them pretend it’s night time.

2. Playing Doctor or Nurse. Allowing the other kid (older or younger) to play “doctor” will help you out so much! Let them take the lead in diagnosing the illness and writing a “prescription” on paper. Here is a pic of Kayla taking care of the “patient” with a special “super healing porridge”. It’s not only a fun role for them to play, but it will provide extra hands for you!

3. Cookie Decorating. (Sorry for this picture below of Grant literally coughing as I snap the pic! He was the sick one here.) Cookie decorating is something that is super fun and easy. I had some leftover pre-made gingerbread cookies on hand and I always have non-refridgerated cookie icing ready. Get the kind that is ready to use with the decorating tips built in. Best part? You can set them up and let them decorate while you attend to the sick child.

4. Chef cooking a power meal. Be a chef and let them “cook” their sick sibling a healthy meal. Give them a task like snapping off the ends of the green beans or let them take the grapes off of the stems. Let them name the special power meal: “Get well soup”, “Feel Better Biscuits”, or “Power Pasta”?

5. Get Well Cards or Paintings. Have the siblings make Get Well cards! Tell them to shower their sick brother with cards and drawings to make him feel better. Tape them up all around the bed, so it’ll make him feel so happy and loved when he is stuck in bed.

What do YOU do with the siblings while the other child is sick? Please share!

No matter what, the main thing is to get the sick child better. For high fevers, nothing works faster and lasts LONGER than Children’s Motrin. It’s something I always have on hand – especially because you never know when you’ll jinx yourself!

Make sure to tune in during the week of March 4th, LIVE with Kelly and Michael will announce the Unstoppable Moms semi-finalists, and beginning March 11, will feature the four finalists’ stories live, in-show.

*This post is part of a sponsorship on BabyCenter for Children’s Motrin – an authentic helper throughout the seasons. All opinions are my own.

*For more great kid activity ideas and to get monthly activities delivered right to you door (BabbaBox), follow Jessica Kim at BabbaCo.com and find her on Facebook and Twitter.

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